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Windows illuminate church

At the Millwood Community Presbyterian Church on Thursday, Scott Graham, bottom, a stained-glass artist for Reflections Stained Glass, lifts a panel to Allen Fenter, a commercial glazier for Valley Glass, who in turn will lift it to Chris O'Neel for installation. (J. BART RAYNIAK / The Spokesman-Review)
By Kandis Carper kandisc@spokesman.com
At the Millwood Community Presbyterian Church on Thursday, Scott Graham, bottom, a stained-glass artist for Reflections Stained Glass, lifts a panel to Allen Fenter, a commercial glazier for Valley Glass, who in turn will lift it to Chris O'Neel for installation. (J. BART RAYNIAK / The Spokesman-Review)

A kaleidoscope of brilliant light washes over the Millwood Community Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary.

Over the past two years the church has replaced its eight amber-colored windows with vividly colored stained glass. The final panels were installed in the church at 3223 N. Marguerite Road on Thursday.

Three glaziers from Valley Glass hoisted the remaining panels into place while church organist Elizabeth Gale practiced Christmas hymns in the background.

When the sun shines through the southern windows sometimes it’s so bright that Gale said she needs to wear sunglasses to read the music.

Allen Fenter and co-workers Chris O’Neel and Dave Ernst have installed all eight windows, beginning with the first two in April 2004.

“The other windows were dark and gloomy. It wasn’t lit up like it is now,” said Fenter, the job’s foreman. “There’s a completely different feel in the church now. It’s warm and peaceful. It’s ‘wow’ instead of ‘ugh’ when you walk in.”

“It was depressing. It was colorless and now it’s colorful,” said Shirley Richner, chairwoman of the church’s stained glass committee.

Richner said the window project wasn’t funded with money collected from regular church offerings but from voluntary gifts from members and the community, mostly as a memorials or honorariums for loved ones.

The 18-by-5-foot windows were installed in groups of two as the money became available. “Once we started replacing the windows everyone took an interest in the sanctuary. We got rid of the gray paint,” said Richner.

The windows were designed by Walter “Spike” Grosvenor, a retired art teacher at Whitworth College, who calls the place his “home” church. Grosvenor grew up in the neighborhood and watched as bricklayers built the church in the 1950s.

Grosvenor said the church paid about 35 percent of what the windows would normally cost, or $15,000 rather than $43,000 per window.

The windows tell the biblical story with the Celtic cross as the dominant symbol in each window.

“The orbs or circles are without a beginning or end, like God’s love is,” said Grosvenor. “The windows enhance the sense of worship in this place whether it’s a church service, memorial service or a wedding.”

Stained-glass artists Susan Kim, Scott Graham and Jennifer Ponting cut, fabricated and assembled the panels. Kim is a former student of Grosvenor’s and is the owner of Reflections Stained Glass, which was responsible for the project.

The Rev. Craig Goodwin, pastor of the church, said that at night when the church’s lights are on there’s a wonderful glow from the church that the Millwood community can enjoy. “It shows we’re one with the world, not closed off,” Goodwin said.